Burn Out or Not
by astradanvers
Summary: Astra burns out her powers and Alex finds her and shows her how to be human for a day ... with a twist (like...astra never actually lost her powers) Part one of the Burn Out series


**This spiraled way out of control. It got more than a little out of hand and veered more than just a little off course but I hope that it measures up to what you were looking for. Also the whole human for a day thing ended up being a little longer than that...oops.**

Kara falls to the ground the moment she touches down, landing on one knee and looking up at Alex, "You need to find Astra," she says with a grimace.

"I need to get you to HQ."

Growling Kara snaps at her sister, "Cat can take me to HQ. You need to find Astra. Between the two of us we exerted enough power to destroy Non but we probably blew out both of our powers, mine are gone at least and hers probably are too. You know how to help her adjust to being human." Kara looks up at Alex even as she sees Cat running towards them, "Please, Alex, please go find her, she deserves help after the things she's done for us."

Finally Alex nods, "Okay, okay, I'll go find her. Let me help Cat get you into her car and then I'll go look for her."

Cat reaches them then, "Kara," she whispers, dropping down beside Supergirl. There's no one around to hear her say Kara's proper name but she's become good at making sure that no one ever hears her say it when she's in her Supergirl suit.

"I'm gonna help you get her into your car," Alex tells Cat quickly, "and then I need to go find Astra. Both of them are probably powerless for a day or so."

Nodding Cat wraps her arm around Kara's waist and helps the younger woman to stand, Alex moves to her sister's other side and the three of them make their way slowly to Cat's car. "I'll talk her through making it to the DEO," Kara tells Alex, "I need a few hours in the sunbed before I head home to sleep off the solar flare."

Alex lowers Kara into the passenger seat of the car and presses a kiss to her forehead, "Astra and I will make it to HQ shortly. I'm going to look for her right now. Last time I spotted her she was over by the pier."

"Warehouse on the boardwalk, I think I saw her crash through the roof."

"Okay, we'll see you soon," she promises.

AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

Alex picks her way carefully through the debris left behind from a Kryptonian falling through the ceiling of the warehouse, "Astra," she calls quietly into the building. A groan sounds somewhere to her left and she rushes towards it, lifting a piece of splintered wood to find her baby sister's aunt bloody and unconscious underneath. "Of course," she mutters, "I get the older Kryptonian who weighs more." She stoops down and lifts Astra up into her arms carefully, mindful of possible injuries. Deciding then that Kryptonian metabolism must also mean that they barely weigh anything, or that their ability to fly means that gravity doesn't bare down on them as much.

The woman in her arms groans suddenly, "Ssh," she mutters, Astra's head rolling to rest on her shoulder, "I've got you. You're going to be okay, Astra," she murmurs, picking her way back towards the exit of the warehouse.

Alex is so far past surprised when Astra nuzzles against her neck before settling more comfortably in the younger woman's hold. Her grip around Alex's neck tightening, for a moment Alex fears Astra's Kryptonian strength will mean the end of her but the older woman's grip is barely strong enough to keep her from toppling from Alex's arms. When she reaches her Tahoe, Alex settles Astra into the passenger seat, pulling the seatbelt over the older woman. She resists the urge to push that single streak of silver away from where it's fallen across Astra's cheek as she steps away to close the door and hurry to the driver's side.

The drive to HQ is quiet, interspersed with a quiet whimper from the woman in the passenger seat. There's a moment when the older woman actually cries out and only quiets when Alex reaches out to rest a hand on her, slowly allowing herself to grip Astra's hand as a way of keeping the older woman grounded, she tells herself. The guards wave her onto DEO land without a second glance at the woman in her passenger seat. She pulls up in front of the bunker, spotting Cat's car still parked in the makeshift lot as well. Circling the Tahoe she opens the door, reaching across Astra to undo the seatbelt and then carefully lifting the older woman into her arms.

She's headed for med bay when Hank's voice reaches her, "Agent Danvers," she turns to him, Astra cradled against her chest. He studies her, "Take her to med bay and then come to my office."

"I should let Supergirl know about her condition first, sir, if that's acceptable."

Hank nods, "Immediately after," he asserts and Alex nods, feeling that she may be in a whole mess of trouble.

There are other doctors in med bay besides her but none she trusts to treat Astra, none she believes Astra won't incinerate she tries to correct in her mind but it never quite sinks past her protectiveness of the older Kryptonian. She clears away the blood on Astra's face, revealing a long gash above her right eyebrow, still seeping blood. She applies appropriate bandages and then begins to peel away the tatters of the older woman's suit, snapping at a tech to fetch some of her own clothes from the locker room. There are long claw like scratches across Astra's chest and stomach and Alex holds back a sob she's not quite sure she knows the origins of while tending to them. When the tech returns with the clothes she requested she snaps something about preparing Supergirl's spare sunbed.

Her hands work as if by muscle memory as she patches up the claw marks, wrapping them in gauze that she hopes will bind what's she's sure is at least one broken rib. There are bruises littering the other woman's body and when Alex lifts her left arm Astra cries out in pain. Lowering the arm gently Alex calls for their X-Ray machine and studies the image she gets back. She gives the older woman enough pain medication to, she hopes, dull what she's about to do. When she sets the broken arm Astra's scream tugs at a part of Alex's heart she thought didn't extend beyond Kara and her mother.

"Ssh," she murmurs as she begins to put a cast on the arm, "ssh, you're okay. The pain will be gone soon. It'll get better." When she's tended to all of Astra's wounds she lifts her into her arms once more, this time more careful of the other woman's broken arm, and carries her towards the room where Kara's spare sunbed is. She lowers Astra into the bed and this time doesn't resist the urge to brush the streak of silver from Astra's face, "You're safe now," she promises the Kryptonian as she lowers the lid of the sunbed. She walks out of the room, "You are to keep an eye on her," she tells the tech there, "should her condition change in any way you are to come and get me, understood." The man nods hurriedly and Alex wonders if she should revel in her colleague's fear of her quite so much. "I am going to speak with Supergirl and then I will be with the Director," the man nods again as Alex brushes by him.

The minute she steps into the room housing the main sunbed Kara looks to the door, "Alex," she says instantly, "did you -"

"I found her," Alex cuts off her sister's worried rant before it can start. "She's not in good shape though, Kara. I don't know what the two of you were fighting up there besides Non but it did a number on her. There are some pretty deep claw marks across her chest and abdomen, a gash to her forehead which I'm suspecting has caused a concussion given that she's still unconscious, and a broken arm. She's in pain but I've given her some pain meds to handle that, those are probably going to make her sleep."

"Is she going to be okay?" Kara demands, eyes boring into her sister.

"I," she falters, wondering why the words stick in her throat and it almost physically hurts to push them out, "I don't know."

"You're taking care of her?"

Alex nods, "I am."

"Good," Kara says, voice turning sleepy, "she's in good hands at least. I'm going to take a power nap and then Cat is going to take me home."

Stepping forward Alex lifts the top of the sun bed and leans down to press a kiss to her sister's forehead, "You have got to stop scaring me like that. I am not being pushed into an early grave."

Kara hums, "Yes, ma'am, Director Danvers."

"Brat," Alex mutters at the title because Kara enjoys tossing the title at her when she thinks Alex is being bossy and overbearing. "I've got to go talk to Hank," she glances at Kara's chart, "at least an hour in this before you leave."

She glances to Cat in the corner, having nearly forgotten the other woman was there, "She's not going anywhere until you say she can, Alex." Alex sees the worry in the older woman and steps closer to her, squeezing her arm in the only form of comfort the media mogul will allow.

"She'll be fine," Alex promises, "a little clumsier and more," she shrugs, "normal, it's what she always calls it, for a day or so and then it's back to regular indestructible Kara." Cat nods but Alex knows she's still worried, one of the perks of loving a superhero.

When she leaves Kara's room she makes her way towards Hank's office and if she takes the long way so she can circle by Astra's room, well no one is any wiser. She knocks sharply on the door, "Come in."

Alex enters the room, falling into an at attention stance before Hank's desk, "You wanted to see me, sir?"

She feels Hank's eyes taking in every aspect of her, is almost certain she can feel him needling at her thoughts, "You went looking for General Astra."

"Supergirl requested it, sir," Alex says instantly, "General Astra aided her in the defeat of both Non and whatever pet he had doing his bidding."

"And you left Supergirl in the care of a civilian who transported her straight to DEO headquarters, what were you thinking, Agent Danvers?"

She can tell Hank is pissed, all they need is Cat Grant to start writing stories about secret military bases, she knows Cat won't, the older woman would do anything to protect Kara even quash the two biggest stories of her career: Supergirl's secret identity and super secret military bases in the desert. "I was thinking about a request one of our best operatives asked be carried out because she could not carry it out herself. I was thinking about the fact that if Supergirl's powers were blown then General Astra's would be too because she spent most of her time PROTECTING Supergirl. And I was thinking, Director, that General Astra could be just as much of an asset to us as Supergirl."

Alex's rant is cut off by a sharp knock at the door, "Enter," Hank says, his voice hard and Alex knows she's probably about to either be suspended or handed desk duty for a month, most likely both.

"I'm sorry, Director," a med tech says, "but Agent Danvers wanted to be notified of any change in General Astra's condition. She's seizing," he says addressing the last part of his statement to Alex.

The woman growls, "You should have started with that you imbecile," she pushes her way past him, setting off at a run towards Astra's sunbed. She enters the room to find two techs, one holding Astra's head to keep it as steady as possible while they have her rolled onto her side in case she begins to vomit. "What the hell happened?" she demands of the tech she left monitoring Astra's condition.

"As best I can tell an allergic reaction, ma'am."

Alex growls low in her throat, leave it to this one stubborn ass Kryptonian to be allergic to pain medication when she's been reduced to human capabilities. "Give me 10cc of epinephrine," she demands moving over to Astra. Once the syringe is in hand she pushes the needle into Astra's skin and injects the medicine quickly, silent prayer going up that it'll work. When the other woman stops seizing she lets out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Get me a new, milder pain med and send word to the Director that I have a patient in need of my observation due to an allergic reaction to medication."

"Yes, ma'am," the tech she left in charge earlier says, fear radiating from him in waves. Alex falls into the chair by the head of the sunbed as he backs from the room.

"What am I going to do with you?" she mutters, "Stubborn ass alien." She allows her head to fall back against the glass wall and awaits Hank's arrival. Suspension is a sure thing now but there's no way in hell she's leaving Astra in the care of this bunch of incompetent fools, they'd stand by and watch as she died.

AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

An hour later the milder pain medication has had no adverse reactions on Astra and Alex has officially been placed on a two week suspension followed by a month of desk duty. She'd threatened to quit entirely if Hank didn't let her stay and care for Astra, thankfully the Director wasn't stupid and knew when Alex wasn't bluffing. "Alex," a voice says from the doorway and the brunette looks up from where she's been trying to bore a hole in the side of the sunbed with only her eyes.

Cat Grant stands in the doorway and suddenly Alex remembers the older woman's assurance that Kara wouldn't leave without Alex clearing her. She glances from Astra to Cat and back, "Will you stay with her while I go check on Kara? Don't let any of the incompetent fools walking around touch her."

"I'll stay with her." Alex is almost out the door when Cat speaks again, "You know I've only ever heard you speak about others like that when it comes to Kara."

Alex pushes from the room, trying to push Cat's words away as easily as she had the door. Down the hall in Kara's room Alex leans back against the door for a moment then makes her way over to her sister, "What's wrong?" Kara questions but Alex shakes her head, "I know you, Lex, something's up."

"Astra had an allergic reaction to the first set of pain meds I gave her," she says even as she begins to look Kara over. "It caused her to seize, I don't know what effect the seizure is going to have"

"And?"

"And nothing, Kara," Alex nearly snaps then forces herself to calm, "I nearly cost your aunt her life today because I wasn't expecting a Kryptonian, even one with their powers blown, to have an allergic reaction to pain medication." Kara reaches out then, stilling Alex's hands where they've been taking her pulse, it's then that Alex realizes two things: her hands are shaking and she's crying.

Kara pulls her big sister into her arms, for once thankful that her powers are blown because it means she can hug Alex with all her strength and not have to worry about breaking her sister. "It's okay, Alex," Kara whispers, "she's okay. We're both okay." Alex presses her face into Kara's shoulder and tries to fight the tears that are still falling, "I've got you," Kara whispers and it's what they've always said to one another when one of them was hurt or falling apart and it's exactly what Alex needs to let the last wall she's been keeping up buckle.

"I nearly killed her," she sobs against Kara's shoulder. She wraps her arms under Kara's arms and up over the younger woman's shoulder, "What if she still dies because I didn't make it to her in time?"

"Hey," Kara says, pushing Alex back so she can meet her sister's eyes, "hey, you need to calm down. Astra is strong and I'm sure that strength extends to her human form." She rests her forehead against her sister's, "She'll be okay, Lex, she has you looking out for her."

Alex tucks herself back into Kara's side, thankful that Kara has always given comfort so freely even when Alex wasn't sure that was what she needed. "Kara," she says quietly.

"Yeah, Lex?"

"I think I'm falling for her."

"I know," Kara says and Alex swears that she can hear the smile in her sister's voice. "I knew it when she was locked in a cell here."

"I didn't," Alex says and even to her own ears her voice is as quiet as it's ever been, "I didn't know it until I found her battered and broken in the wreckage of that warehouse." She shakes her head, "I didn't know I could care about someone as much as I cared about you and Mom until then, like she was family but," she falters, "but more."

"That's the way I feel about Cat," Kara says, sensing that Alex needs to hear something. "Sometimes if feels like if I lose her that the world would stop spinning. Those are the times you hold on a little tighter just to make sure that it's real." She presses a kiss to Alex's temple, "Like tonight," she says, "Cat and I will go home and I'll wrap her and Carter in my arms as tight as I can with my human strength and I'll know I'm still alive, that they are. Those are the moments," Kara says, "those are the moments you have to find. Not the ones where you almost die, where they do, it's the moments when you live."

"When did you get so smart?"

Kara smiles and squeezes her sister a little tighter, "My sister taught me," she says with a grin. "Come on, I want to check on Aunt Astra and then I want to take my girlfriend home so we can check on the kid."

Alex smiles, amazed by the fact that her sister can jump from serious to joking in the blink of an eye. The two of them make their way towards Astra's room and Alex grabs Kara's arm before she can enter, "Thank you," she says quietly.

"Any time, sis," Kara tells her with a grin.

AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

Alex hasn't left DEO headquarters in over a week. She showers in the locker rooms, taking barely ten minute showers and only when Kara or Cat, who apparently has a pass to come and go as she pleases now, stops by to bring her food and fresh clothes. The end of her two week suspension is looming ahead of her and she's considering requesting time off, she has it after all, before she starts her month of desk duty. Astra hasn't woken since the battle. Alex has spent more time holding the older woman's hand than she would willingly admit and the Kryptonian was moved from the sunbed to a hospital bed after three days.

"Lex," the voice from the door draws her attention and she finds Kara there, bag of Chinese in one hand and fresh duffel of clothes over the opposing shoulder. "Hey," she says quietly.

"Hey," Alex returns, voice laced with something she can only classify as almost defeat.

"You aren't allowed to do that," Kara says firmly, placing the takeout on the table beside Alex.

"Do what?"

"Give up," Kara says, "you'd never give up on me or on Eliza so don't give up on her. Remember what I told you that first day."

Alex nods because she does remember, Kara's words are what have kept her going the last week and a half. She grabs the duffel, "I'm gonna shower and speak to Hank for a few then I'll come back and we can eat."

Nodding Kara watches as Alex leaves the room, "You better not leave her," she mutters to her aunt while falling into Alex's vacated seat.

Slipping into the women's locker room Alex falls into the routine she's adapted, stripping off her clothes and stepping into a spray of water that nearly scalds her skin. Under the stream of water the first tears begin to fall and she backs herself against the cold tile wall, eyes closing and fists clenching. She turns, punches the wall, she'd told Hank he might as well leave the repair until after she stopped showering at work, he'd listened. There are broken ceramic tiles across the entire wall and her knuckles haven't been free of scrapes and blood when she exits the shower in six days, not since they'd taken Astra from the sunbed, still unconscious.

She turns back into the spray of water, washing her hair and body quickly before slipping from the stall, dressing in the yoga pants and tank Kara brought, thankful her sister knew when she need her comfort clothes. She slips Kara's college sweatshirt, she'd pilfered it years ago, over her head and shoves her dirty clothes back in the duffel.

When she steps back into Astra's room after a quick chat with Hank about time off, it's to find Kara reading quietly from the third Potter book, convinced that if Astra wouldn't wake she'd make her suffer through the entire series until she did. Astra would probably hate the books, both Alex and Kara knew it, they were hoping she'd make some cutting comment about them one day. Alex settles across the bed from her sister and reaches for the Chinese food, she may eat very little these days but when she does it's because she's starving.

Kara finishes out the chapter she's been reading and then reaches for her order of sweet and sour chicken. "Oh," she says after her first bite, "I've got something else for you too," she holds out a magazine to Alex. "Hits the rack first thing in the morning."

Looking down at the CatCo magazine in her hand Alex is shocked to see a perfect picture of Astra and Supergirl hovering side by side at the harbor. "This is that day."

"It is," Kara says carefully, "one of CatCo's photographers was covering a story not far from there. He took the initiative and grabbed some shots of Astra and I. Read the article," she says simply while returning to her food.

Alex opens the magazine up and reads about The General, the newest superhero on the scene in National City. The questions of if she's simply a visitor or Supergirl's new crime fighting partner remain unanswered but ever present. She looks up at Kara when she's finished the article that spins Astra in the best light, "Does Hank -"

"Cat asked him first," Kara says simply, "he and I both made sure it was vague about whether she was to remain part of National City's crime fighters or if this was a one time situation."

"What happens if she can't ever fly again, Kara? If she can't ever be who she's always been?"

"I asked myself the same questions the first time my powers blew," Kara says, "do you know what I found?" Alex shakes her head, "It's not my powers that make me who I am and it's not Astra's that make her who she is. We make us who we are. And the people around us are the ones who make dealing with those possibilities easier."

Alex nods and falls into silence once more finishing her dinner in the silence around them.

AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

A full month after the battle Astra is still unconscious and Alex is back at work part time, she'd taken the two weeks after her suspension off and continued to stay by Astra's side every minute of every day. The only way Hank had gotten her back on duty part time was by setting up her own command station inside of Astra's room, so naturally Astra had to be moved to a bigger room. "You've got two bogeys coming up on your right, Supergirl," Alex says into the com in her ear, "and they're coming fast."

Her eyes are following the dots moving across the radar in front of her, "I can't see them, Alex, where are they?"

"Four o'clock," Alex says simply, eyes following the two rogue dots chasing after her sister. As she watches first one and then the second falls away, "Got them."

"You know we make a pretty good team," Kara's smile is evident in her voice.

"We do," Alex says with a grin. Her eyes travel to the bed and she stops, she could swear she just saw a finger twitch. She watches, not daring to move and sure enough the whole hand twitches this time. "Come back to base, Supergirl, there's a new development."

"Really?"

"I think so, yeah," Alex says, "see you soon." She tosses her com down and moves over to the bed, "Astra," she says quietly, lifting one of the woman's hands with her own. "Hey," she whispers, "you finally rejoining the land of the living, General." The older woman's lips twitch and Alex is positive her heart stutters in her chest, "Come on, you stubborn ass Kryptonian, open your eyes." This time Astra's lips more than twitch, they lift upwards in a small smile and her eyelids flutter. "That's it, baby," she whispers, failing to notice the term of endearment falling from her lips as it has so often in the past month, "open your eyes." This time Astra's eyes open fully before she flinches from the light assaulting her and shuts them once more. Alex reaches out to the switch on the wall and flicks it off, "Slowly," Alex says, voice still no more than a whisper. "Just ease them open slowly."

For the first time since she met the woman Astra follows the orders given to her. Kara slams into the room at that moment, "What's going on?"

Alex waves her off, "See, Astra, you've even got Kara running to see you. Don't you want to see her too." Astra's eyes blink open then, fluttering rapidly as she tries to adjust to the dim but still bright lights surrounding her. Alex smiles down at the older woman, "Hey, sleepyhead." Astra's lips twitch in a tight smile once more and she opens her mouth to speak but it comes out like a croak instead. Without looking Alex reaches to the table and grabs a cup of water, placing the straw to Astra's lips and allowing the older woman to pull in long draws of water. "Not too much," Alex murmurs, pulling the water away after long moments.

"N-n-non?" she finally rasps out.

"Dead," Kara supplies, "he and the hell beast with him." Astra nods, "You scared us."

She settles on the side of Astra's bed, "H-how -"

"A month," Alex supplies, hand instinctively reaching out to brush hair away from Astra's face. "You've been out for a month. As far as we know you still haven't regained your powers." Astra groans and tries to move, "Don't," Alex says, "don't try to move, it's gonna take some time to get your full body movements back."

Kara sits at the side of her aunt's bed and for the first time in a month she sees her sister smile her true, unfiltered smile, "Get some actual rest," Kara tells her aunt, "I'm gonna take Alex and get her some food," she says quietly, "we'll be back shortly."

Before Alex moves from her spot beside Astra she watches to make sure that the older woman has drifted off to sleep, this time there's more color in her cheeks and Alex doesn't fear that if she leaves the room she'll come back to find Astra far too still and skin turning cold in her bed. Outside the room Kara doesn't hesitate as she reaches for Alex and pulls her sister into her arms.

The sobs come almost instantly, wracking their way through Alex's body. Kara is careful as she pulls Alex ever closer, "She's okay," the younger woman whispers against Alex's hair. "Astra is safe. She's okay and she's going to wake up again." That seems to make the sobbing worse but Kara knows it's what her sister had needed to hear. "She'll be walking out of here," Kara says, " very soon, with you," Kara promises.

The thought of it hits Alex like a punch to the gut, she'll never have Astra the way she wants. She's spent a month at the bedside of someone who will never love her back. She would never change it, of this she is very sure. "She's going to be a pain in the ass about getting back on her feet, isn't she?"

Kara glances over her sister's shoulder, Astra's in trouble, "Oh she is," she tells her sister, "she's already out of bed."

Fire flashes in Alex's eyes and Kara flinches even though the anger is not directed at her. The older Danvers shrugs out of Kara's embrace and marches into the room behind her, "Get back in the damn bed, General," Alex growls. Before Alex can make more demands Astra stumbles but the younger woman is there instantly, holding her up but when Astra's legs refuse to keep her up, Alex simply lifts her into her arms, a practiced move after a month of moving the Kryptonian from one machine to perform tests to another. Kara stands outside the room, watching through the window without moving to help, she knows better.

"Why were you crying, Brave One?" Kara hears Astra ask, without even the need of her super hearing. With a nod Kara turns away from the room, she'll speak to Hank then pick up Alex's favorite from that food truck in Chicago and a bowl of Cat's homemade soup from her apartment. Alex hasn't looked at Astra, in fact she's looking everywhere but at Astra. "Brave One -"

"Don't," Alex says, "I'm not brave. For the past month I've been anything but brave." She finally looks up and the look of despair in her eyes steals the breath from Astra's lungs. "For the past month I've been terrified, Astra, terrified."

"Of what?"

Alex stares at the older woman, "Of what, she asks." She glares at Astra, "You almost died, Astra, first from the damage that godforsaken hell beast did to you, then from an allergic reaction to pain medication, you were in a coma for a month, you had a seizure and we didn't know what effect that would have on you, still don't." Alex's tears are streaming down her cheeks and Astra reaches out to brush them away, "No," Alex says firmly, pushing the hand away, "you're going to listen and you're going to watch these tears because I've cried enough of them over an unmoving body for a fucking lifetime, Astra." Alex's chest is heaving, she's close to hyperventilating, "I almost lost you, you damn stubborn as hell Kryptonian, and if you ever," she points a finger at the woman, "ever scare me like that again, a hell beast will be the least of your worries."

Astra stares in shock at the younger, "You were scared of losing me?" she questions in what could nearly be deemed amazement.

"Yes, Astra, I was, I am terrified of losing you."

"But -"

Alex frames Astra's face with her hands, "Just shut up, okay? I love your voice because I haven't heard it in a month but shut up." She tugs lightly and brings Astra's lips to her own, the touch tentative at first and the firmer, surer of what she's trying to say. When she finally pulls away from Astra, the need for air a problem for both women, Alex presses her forehead to Astra's, "I am terrified of losing you," she whispers out.

Looking Alex over Astra takes in the details she'd missed earlier, the lackluster hair, the clothes too casual for work, "I'm sorry," she says quietly, pulling Alex closer to her, "I'm sorry I scared you," she whispers against locks of soft, dark hair.

Pulling away slightly Alex looks down and sees the sincerity of Astra's words, she nods, "You should get some rest," she brushes Astra's hair back from her face, "you may have been out for a month but it wasn't restful, healing yes but not restful."

She tries to stand but Astra's hand wraps around her wrist, "Stay," Astra whispers, "please." Alex nods and makes to move back to her normal chair but Astra's hold tightens and though not superhuman the grip has the desired effect of making Alex look at her, "Stay here," she says, "with me." Tugging slightly she manages to get Alex to lay down beside her in the bed, the younger woman's head pillowed on her shoulder, able to hear every beat of Astra's heart. "You should rest too." The nod against her shoulder is already sluggish and Astra smiles a little before closing her eyes and drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

When Kara returns to Astra's room, food truck bag in one hand and thermos of souls in the other she stops moving at the sight before her. Then she smiles and reaches for her phone in her boot. The picture she captures is of Astra holding Alex against her side, Alex's arm thrown over the older woman's waist her head resting against Astra's chest, ear over her heart while Astra's single strand of silver hair, the one that seems to mesmerize Alex flutters with every breath Alex takes.

AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

A laugh can be heard through the open window leading into Alex's apartment, "You do actually have to exert some force now, Astra," she chides lightly at the woman trying to help her move the couch. "Without your super strength you can't just push with your pinkie."

Astra grins and wraps an arm around Alex's waist, pulling the other woman in close, "Remind me why we're doing this again anyway." She presses a kiss to the side of Alex's neck, "I can think of much better things to do with your day off."

Shaking her head Alex raises a hand, pushing her girlfriend of two months away slightly, "Because we have to attend your niece and my sister's engagement party and there will be dancing and I am not missing the dancing because you are used to floating a little above the ground so people don't notice that you are as clumsy as Kara."

Glaring lightly at her girlfriend Astra chuckles, "I'm not that clumsy, no one could be that clumsy."

"Just help me move the couch," she says while turning back to her couch and waiting for Astra to help her. Between the two of them they push it towards the wall and open up the floor of Alex's living room.

Astra moves forward, wraps her arms around Alex's waist and begins to sway them slightly as Alex's arms rise to circle her lover's neck. The two months she's spent helping Astra learn to be human, helping her learn that when she hugs Alex she doesn't have to temper the strength she does it with. Helping her learn that, yes, the need to punch things when you get frustrated is still present but, perhaps, not punching a cement wall because you will break you hand is a good idea. Helping Astra learn that she's not indestructible and that while there are still places on her skin that are extra sensitive to touch she's allowed to feel those sensations completely, she doesn't have to hold back because she won't break Alex or the bed. Moving more fully into Astra's arms Alex rests her head over Astra's heart.

Watching the Kryptonian adjust to life without her powers has been hard and funny at times and heartbreaking at others but they've tried everything they can think of to kickstart the woman's powers. Alex hates and loves that Astra has to adjust to this in equal measures. She hates it because there are times when Astra looks so defeated and heartbroken, the most prominent memory of this is the first bad fight Astra saw between Kara and another alien while Astra and Alex watched from HQ and Astra had stiffened with every blow her niece took hit after hit. Alex had known what was wrong and she'd reached out for Astra with a whispered, "She knows how to do this, I promise." It hadn't mattered that Alex was right, that a few minutes later Kara had delivered swift punches to the alien and bringing it down so DEO agents could bring it in. The moment Kara walked into HQ Astra had instantly pulled her into a hug and everyone around them pretended not to notice the tears in Astra's eyes or the way that she'd tucked Kara's head under her chin and ran her fingers through her niece's hair. Astra's Kryptonian military training had relied on her powers, without them she was not as well equipped for battle as she would have liked so she'd cornered Alex one day with a demand of, "Teach me to fight as a human," and Alex had.

"What are you thinking about?" Astra questions, her chin resting on the top of Alex's head.

Alex smiles, "Just the past couple months," she lets Astra lead them in the dance they're doing, "how you've adjusted to being human." She pulls back slightly, looks up at her lover, "Do you still miss it as badly as you did at first?"

She meets Alex's eyes and then nods, "Sometimes, mostly when you and Kara are in the field and I feel helpless, useless without them because though I know how to fight like a human doesn't mean I'm happy about how much I have to worry about keeping myself alive to protect the two of you." She sighs, "That failed to come out the way I wanted it to."

"I get it," Alex says shaking her head, "I feel that way with Kara, with you when you were still zooming through the skies. I'm not indestructible, I have to constantly watch my own six because one bullet could take me out and if I'm going to protect Kara then I have to protect myself too."

Astra pulls Alex impossibly closer, "Some days I don't want them back," she murmurs against Alex's forehead, "because I love being able to hold you as tight as I can. I love being able to feel every part of you pressed against every part of me and not worry about my senses overloading. And some days I miss them terribly because I can't adjust my hearing to hear you at work from here, just to make sure you're okay. And I can't use x-ray vision to look you over when you return to me and make sure nothing is broken and everything else is where it's supposed to be. And as much as I love being able to feel every part of you without holding back, I miss feeling every part of you a little more than I should."

Staring at Astra, Alex remembers all over again that Astra is very different from the woman she first believed her to be. Where the Kryptonian first came off as cold and calculating, which she could be, to those she cares about, those she loves, she's sincere and she's honest and she wears her love for them on her sleeve. "You're poetic when you want to be," Alex says with a grin, relieving some of the heaviness of the situation. The look of gratefulness on Astra's face amazes Alex as well because she knows Astra wants to keep of the tough outer shell she tries to wear like a second skin but sometimes it easily falls away, especially when she's in Alex's arms. Alex leans up then, pressing her lips to Astra's and pulling the Kryptonian down to her. She feels Astra advance on her, walking them backwards towards the couch and she falls down onto it without complaint, Astra moving to straddle her lap. "This is not dancing," she says, eyes closed as Astra's lips trail down her neck.

"It is," Astra says between kisses, "just not the kind where I spin you around the dance floor and show you off in that amazing dress you bought. This dancing is only for us, just you and me."

Alex smiles, hand tangling in Astra's hair and tightening, tugging, perhaps a little harder than she should but knowing that Astra enjoys the pain as much as the pleasure. She brings their lips back together, rests her forehead against Astra's looking into her lover's eyes, "I love you," she whispers on the breath of air it feels like she's kept bottled inside too long. She's felt it and implied it many times over the two months they've been together but she's never said the words, too afraid of losing Astra to the overwhelming emotion.

Smiling Astra leans back in, lips locking with Alex's, "I love you too," she whispers back, her forehead resting against Alex's.

AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

Four months after Astra wakes up she still hasn't regained her powers and she's grown to accept, if not fully liking, that. She can have a life with Alex this way that is not as complicated by her alien strength or hearing or x-ray vision. "Hey," Alex says, approaching from behind, arms circling Astra's waist where the older woman is looking out over the city.

Astra turns her head to look over her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her lover's lips, "Hey."

"So I need to go grocery shopping," Alex says, "because we have no food in the house." Astra wonders when she and Alex drifted from the I's and me's they were to begin with to the we's and us's they are now. "Come with me?" She presses her lips to the back of Astra's neck, "We can have lunch at that little cafe we love down by the beach."

Astra smiles, "I suppose I could agree to that," she turns, pulling Alex closer, "as long as we can take a walk on the beach before we leave."

"As if I'd deprive you of that," Alex says, tilting her head back to steal another kiss. She marvels sometimes, more than sometimes, at how easy it is to just be with Astra. They fight sometimes, of course they do they are both very stubborn women, but they always come back to each other and they always make time for days like today will be. Because inevitably they'll go to the cafe by the beach for lunch and then walk down to the beach where they'll amble along the edge of the water, hand in hand. And they'll hunt for seashells and laugh and talk about anything and everything. It'll be late afternoon by the time they leave the beach and maybe they'll head to the grocery store then or maybe one of them will pull the other one close and say let's go see a movie or let's call Cat and Kara and have them and Carter meet us at the arcade or the bowling alley. Sometimes they do these things instead and then grab takeout from whatever place they're craving and go home to curl up on the couch, promising that tomorrow they'll do the shopping.

When they're walking down the street half an hour later, Astra is the one to reach out for Alex's hand. Alex brings her free hand up, wrapping it over her lover's elbow and resting we head on Astra's shoulder. "We should grab a cab to the cafe," Astra says quietly.

"In a few minutes," Alex promises, enjoying the feel of just walking with Astra.

They're passing an alley when a hand reaches out and grabs them, snatching them down the deserted side street. They're both thrown back against the hard brick wall, far enough in that no one can see them. Two men stand before them, each looking them over lecherously,"Look what we've got here, two dykes who need to be taught a lesson."

Alex glares but stays quiet, unsure of if the two idiots have weapons on them, Astra's eyes narrow, wishing for her x-ray or heat vision for the first time in weeks. The man in front of Alex steps towards her, "Oh I'm gonna have fun with this one," he says, running a single grimey finger down her cheek.

"Leave her alone," Astra snarls, hands clenching into fists.

The man smirks, "Oh I think we'll let you watch, how does that sound?" He wraps his hand behind Alex's neck and Astra knows he's intending to kiss her but before he does Astra's hand snaps out, ripping his away from Alex and feeling it crack beneath her fingers.

"I said leave her alone," Astra growls, reaching out and grabbing both men by the throat.

"Astra," Alex says, hand resting on her lover's arm gently, "Astra, put them down." Astra doesn't comply until they're both unconscious at her feet. Immediately she reaches out for Alex and pulls her into her arms, the almost too much press of Alex's body against her own, the almost overwhelming scent of Alex's shampoo are all welcome distractions from the fear still causing her heart to beat erratically, still causing Alex's heart to beat far too fast and too hard for Astra's liking.

"I've got you," she whispers into Alex's hair, unsure of who she's actually soothing with the words.

"Astra, you've got -"

"Nothing more important than you," Astra promises, "I've got nothing more important than you." Astra presses her lips to Alex's, "Knowing what he was going to do I had to stop it but I didn't know how without my powers and I kept praying for Rao to give them back, to just let me keep you safe." She keeps Alex pressed against her body, "And then I could hear it, the frantic beat of your heart and I knew, I knew I could protect you now. And when he touched you like that I just, I couldn't stop myself."

Alex leans up and kisses Astra this time, "My hero," she murmurs. "Now we should call the cops and have these two taken in."

Astra nods and continues to hold onto Alex as the younger woman pulls out her phone, "I love you," she whispers in Alex's ear, needing to express the feeling more than anything.

"I love you too," Alex says, noting that Astra still has herself positioned between the goons and Alex.

AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

Six months later Alex wakes up held securely in Astra's embrace, content to laze there until she feels like moving. She's on vacation from the DEO, spending the week with Carter while Cat and Kara are on their honeymoon in Australia of all places, she shouldn't be surprised really, Kara has always wanted to go and what Kara wants Kara gets. Carter's father had backed out on keeping him at the last minute and Cat and Kara were talking of canceling their trip when Alex and Astra volunteered to watch Carter. It was summer break so Alex had decided to take the week off and spoil her nephew.

"You're thinking too loud," Astra grumbles behind her, "I didn't get in until two, go back to sleep."

Alex grins, glancing over at the two framed magazine covers across from their bed, the first being the one where Cat had named her second superhero. The other is similar in nature, declaring: THE GENERAL RETURNS: FOR GOOD THIS TIME? And so The General had, fighting beside Supergirl, taking over when Supergirl had other duties, two superheroes allowed two disasters to be avoided at once. And caused Alex to worry twice as much but her sister and her lover were happy.

"Carter will be up soon," she finally mutters, "I should get up and start breakfast."

"We could go out," Astra says, "whatever we have to do to get you to stay in this bed for at least the next thirty minutes we'll do it."

Alex turns over, "What happened?" Astra is only ever this clingy in the mornings when a General situation has rattled her. Alex is usually the first up so Astra has become used to her crawling from the bed at ungodly hours to get ready for work.

"A fire at an apartment building," the older woman says, eyes still pressed tightly shut, like she's trying to keep thoughts at bay. "Most of the building had been evacuated but there was one apartment on the top floor, there was a family inside. Two mothers and their three children," she shakes her head, "I couldn't, I couldn't carry them all at once." Alex brushes away the tear that trails down Astra's cheek, "The mothers shuffled their children into my arms, helping the older girl, she was about five, onto my back and telling her that it was going to be the best piggyback ride she'd ever had. Then they handed me the baby, an infant no more than a few months old and already having problems breathing because of the smoke she'd inhaled. The boy was maybe three and one of his mother's passed him into my arms after they'd each pressed a kiss to his cheek just as they had done with their other children." She chokes on a quiet sob, "I flew as fast as I could carrying three children, Alex, I promise I did but I still," she gulps in air, "I wasn't fast enough. I had just touched down with the kids when the building collapsed."

"Oh, baby," Alex whispers, pulling her lover impossibly closer while Astra clings to her and sobs. The times Astra has to save children are always worse because the kids so often don't understand what's happening. But this, this is so very different, this is three children left orphaned because their parents sacrificed themselves for them. "You stayed with them last night, didn't you?"

Astra nods, "Until the social worker made me leave. They've got nobody, Alex, the social worker said neither of their mothers had family. I wasn't going to leave them alone after they'd watched the building with their parents in it collapse."

Alex pulls Astra back into her, "We'll find a way to help them," she promises, "I don't know how but we'll find a way."

AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

"Are you sure about this?" Kara questions, sitting on the back of Alex's couch and watching her sister wrap up dishes in the kitchen.

Alex nods, "We've talked about this, Kara, I'm positive. You weren't with us that next day," she says quietly, "you didn't see the looks." She looks over at her sister, "It was like I was meeting you all over again but different because they're so much younger, in need of someone who can half understand and someone who can protect them."

Kara slides off the couch and walks to her sister, "This is jumping from just you and Astra to you and Astra and three kids, Alex, three young kids who need lots of attention, more so because of what they've been through. I just want to be sure you're sure about this and that you know what you're getting into."

Alex tilts her head, "Did you know what you were getting into when you started dating a woman with a son?" Kara shakes her head, "Astra and I have no idea what we're getting into taking on three kids but we're happy and so are Alyssa, Aiden and Addie, as happy as they can be right now anyway. Alyssa is always going to remember that building collapsing, Aiden may remember bits and pieces and Addie won't remember anything but they'll always have the knowledge that their parents died so that they could live." She meets her sister's eyes, "I like to think that maybe Astra and I can help them come out stronger on the other side of that."

Kara finally nods, "You've done it before, Al, you can do it again."

"Don't call me that. I hope we can," she breathes out quietly. "Now you are supposed to be helping me pack not lazing around." She nods to a cabinet beside the sink, "Wrap the glasses for me and please try not to break them, your aunt has broken enough."

Laughing Kara moves to the cabinet, pulling it open and smiling to herself at the sight of the bottom shelf that she knows used to house coffee mugs and is now covered with sippy cups and corresponding lids. "Hey, Alex," she says, glancing at her sister.

"Yeah, Kara?"

"You make a great mom."

The grin that spreads over Alex's features is the one Kara has always believed could light up the sky and she smiles right back at her sister. A loud cry comes from down the hall and without a second thought Alex abandons the plate she was in the middle of wrapping and hurries down the hall. Kara can hear her murmuring softly to Addie, soothing the baby easily as the cries die away. Moments later Alex returns to the kitchen, baby balanced on her hip and Kara sees it then even more than with the sippy cups in her cabinet, Alex has fallen into full on mom.

"Look, Addie," she says, walking towards Kara, "it's Aunt Kara." Kara smiles at the baby but doesn't reach for her, she's still terrified she's going to break Alyssa half the time there's no way she's holding Addie or even Aiden. Except Addie reaches out for Kara, which she's never done before and the hero reacts on instinct, hands flying up and gently catching the six month old with hands far more confident than she'd ever let on. Alex smiles as her sister tries to adjust to having the baby in her arms, "She won't break, Kara," Alex whispers, "hold her like you do Alyssa and you'll be fine."

"Alex," Kara falters, "what if -"

Alex reaches out, "Put this hand here," she says, wrapping one of Kara's arms around Addie's small body and then taking her other hand and placing it against her back. "See, you can do this." Watching Kara, Alex sees her sister slowly relax into the hold, adjusting the baby a little to a more comfortable position for the way she's holding her. "You're a natural," Alex says, smiling at her little sister. She moves to the cabinet and pulls a bottle out, adding formula and then warm water before turning back to Kara, finding that her sister has moved Addie so that the baby's head is resting on her shoulder and Kara's hands are resting under her bottom as Kara sways them slightly.

Alex smiles at the sight and holds the bottle out to Kara, "I don't know if I'm ready for that."

"You'll be fine," she says, "just place one hand and on the back of her head and lay her down, support her head and her bottom," Kara slowly complies, "now turn her so that her head rests in the crook of your elbow and your arm takes over support of her body." She watches as Kara slowly manuvers her daughter into the crook of her elbow, fear in Kara's eyes, fear that she'll accidentally harm her niece, "There you go," she says when Kara has the baby cradled in one arm, "now take this and give it to her," she says, holding out the bottle, "I would suggest either sitting at the counter or on the couch to give your arm some support because she gets heavy after a bit." She glances at her sister then chuckles, "Right, Kryptonian, you could hold her for a year and your arm would never get tired." She's sure Kara isn't paying attention though because she's placed the bottle against Addie's lips and the baby has wrapped her hands around it, holding it herself while staring up at Kara, the two observing everything they can about one another. Turning back to wrapping plates Alex begins humming to herself, a smile on her lips.

The door to the apartment opens then and she turns to find Astra entering with Alyssa on her shoulders and Cat behind her with Aiden on her hip while Carter brings up the rear a goofy smile on his face as he watches his mother. Upon entering the apartment Astra's stops though, watching her niece who has moved to the couch, without Alex noticing and is humming her own song softly to Addie. Astra walks towards Alex, turning so that the younger woman can help Alyssa down, pressing a kiss to the little girl's cheek, "Go put your things in your room," she says with a grin, "and bring your homework back if you have any," she calls after Alyssa as she rushes off down the hallway.

Astra's eyes are still tracking Kara's movements as she sways her arms side to side gently, while Cat slides onto the couch beside her, Aiden turning to burrow his way into Cat's embrace after he's covered himself with his favorite blanket. "How'd you manage it?" Astra asks, quietly.

"I didn't," Alex says just as quietly, "your daughter did." It hadn't taken either woman long to claim all three children as their own as they'd both instantly fallen in love with them but most of the time they only referred to the children that way in there minds or the quiet of their room at night. Alyssa still had nightmares about the fire and Aiden still asked for his mothers every few days but Addie, Addie had been a ray of light from the beginning and Alex knew that was because she had only been a month old when the fire happened and had nothing of her mothers' to remember. Sometimes it terrified her because one day Addie was going to ask about what happened to her parents and Alex wasn't sure how they'd answer that.

"What do you mean?" Astra questions with a grin.

"Addie took a nosedive for Kara when I brought her down the hall a little bit ago. Kara of course instantly reached out to catch her. With a bit of coaching from me and a still sleepy Addie she adjusted just fine. So much so that when I turned back to them from making Addie's bottle Kara was swaying with her and Addie was resting against her shoulder."

"I knew she'd be good with them."

Alex smiles, "me too," she says, humming as she rests her head against Astra's arm, "she's humming your lullaby."

"She's humming her lullaby," Astra says quietly, "I wrote it for her, on Krypton. I didn't think she'd remember it. I hadn't even realized I hummed it to Addie and Aiden sometimes until you pointed it out last night. It was always my special song for Kara."

"I don't mind sharing," Kara says quietly from the couch, barely loud enough for Alex to hear, though with Astra it feels like she's shouting. The two older women move over to the couch, smiling when they find Addie wide awake and playing with a lock of Kara's hair while Aiden has hunkered down in Cat's lap and drifted off to sleep. Carter is sitting beside his mother, PSP in hand but ignored as he watching his mothers with his cousins.

Alex smiles at the sight of her sister-in-law absently pressing kisses to her son's head, "You want me to take him and put him down?"

Cat shakes her head, "No," she says quietly, "he's fine."

Sinking down into the armchair, one of the few pieces of large furniture left in the apartment Astra reaches out and pulls Alex down into her lap before the ball of energy that is Alyssa blows in, clambering up into Alex's lap. "Look, Mama Alex," she says happily, having adopted the moniker for Alex when Aiden started calling the younger woman Mama. Alyssa holds up a hand drawn picture. "This is you and Mommy Astra," she says pointing to two clumsily drawn figures with dark hair, one a little shorter than the other and a silver streak among the long brown hair of the other. "And this is me," she points to a little girl, balanced happily on crayon Astra's shoulders, "and Aiden," she points to where Aiden is standing between Astra and Alex, favorite blanket in one hand and the other held in Alex's. "And that's Addie," she say, pointing to a small blob that could pass for a baby on Alex's hip. "Aunt Kara and Aunt Cat and Carter," she says while pointing to the other side of the page, "are over here." She leans back a little, away from Alex's body, though Alex's arms remain around the little girl's waist where she's placed them to keep Alyssa from tumbling from her lap, "Do you like it, Mama Alex?"

Alex smiles, at the name and the question and tries to pretend there aren't a few tears blurring her vision as she pulls Alyssa into a tight hug, "I love it, Alyssa," she says into the girl's hair. "We'll have to put it on the fridge at the new house, right in the middle so everyone can see it when they come in."

"You'd really do that?" Alyssa questions even as she tucks her head under Alex's chin, drawing dangling from one hand.

"Of course we would," Alex says, hand running up and down Alyssa's back, "I fully expect you and your brother and sister to keep our fridge covered in drawings and good report cards." Alyssa giggles then, "What's so funny?" Alex says, tickling the little girl in her lap.

"Aiden and Addie can't draw, Mama," and when no Alex follows the word Alex tries not to falter in the attention she's given her daughter.

"They can't right now but one day they will. Already Aiden is taking every opportunity to draw squiggles and scribbles on everything." Alyssa giggles again but snuggles closer to Alex, and tries to lay her drawing on the arm of the chair. Astra grabs it just before it flutters away.

Cat and Kara have watched the scene before them quietly and Cat smiles when she watches Alyssa's eyes flutter closed, "Do they always take a nap after Alyssa gets home?"

Alex nods, "Pretty much, I think all the squabbling the backseat wears them out."

"When do you have to go back to work?" Kara asks while trying to free her hair from Addie's grip so she can sit the baby up to rest against her chest, relaxed enough now that though a small fear remains that she'll hurt her she moves the same way she does with Alyssa, carefully but surely.

"The end of the month," Alex says with a slight pout and Kara is shocked, she never expected to see Alex complain or make that face at the thought of returning to the DEO. "My family leave runs out then." She's absently reached out to find Astra's hand and tangled their fingers together while the fingers of her other hand are running gently up and down Alyssa's back. "I'm just glad the adoption was covered by family leave in the first place."

Astra spots Carter shaking his head out of the corner of her eye, "What's wrong, Carter?" she asks turning her attention to her nephew who has traded his PSP for his phone.

"Dad cancelled," he says with a shrug and Cat stretches out a hand to her son. Carter squeezes her hand, "I'd rather be here anyway," he says quietly while shifting to rest his head on Cat's shoulder. Cat leans down to press a kiss to the top of his head, careful of Aiden sleeping in her arms. Carter smiles, "After the munchkins wake up can we order pizza while we finish packing up here?"

"I don't see why not," Kara says, "as long as Astra and Alex don't mind us hanging around." She glances down to Addie who is gnawing at one of her fingers, "That may not exactly hurt, sweetie, but it is kind of gross."

"Yeah, try it when you and actually feel the tiny needle point teeth," Alex says with a smirk. "That's why Astra is the teething ring around here because Trouble over there won't chew on actual teething rings."

"Carter did best with the frozen teethers or a frozen washcloth," Cat tells Alex, "until he got mad and threw them anyway." She shrugs, "Orajel helps too and the advice columnist for _The Tribune_ wrote something last week about fresh food teethers and vibrating ones. I used to just freeze pieces of banana for Carter when he got a bit older."

"I do love these stories of me as a baby," Carter grouses from his mother's side.

The adults pay him no mind, "I saw that article when I was researching things that might help the other day. We have the orajel, she won't let us use it, I think it's the whole numbing aspect of things. And she's allergic to bananas, which are the best things to put in those fresher food teethers."

"Grapes," Cat supplies, "grapes are good too."

Alex tilts her head, "Maybe I'll pick one up and we can try it." She shrugs, "Anything is better than the bite marks I have all over my knuckles."

"Janel at work says they're messy," Kara mutters.

"You've been talking to Janel?" Cat questions, eyeing her wife.

Kara shrugs, "She keeps posting pictures of her new baby on Facebook and she saw my pictures of Alyssa, Aiden and Addie and came to the wrong conclusion because I didn't tag Alex and Aunt Astra."

"So she assumed we'd adopted three children and you didn't bother to tell me."

"It wasn't a big deal, she asked and I told her they were my nieces and nephew and she dropped it."

Astra and Alex glance at one another, "Okay, what's going on here?" Alex finally asks, head tilted in confusion.

"Nothing," Cat and Kara say together, both giving Carter a glance.

Without a word Astra stands with Alex in her arms then settles her lover back into the armchair, "Hey, Carter, help me carry Alyssa and Aiden back to their beds?"

Carter smiles up at his aunt, having been too lost in his PSP once more to have really noticed the conversation going on around him. When Astra has lifted Alyssa from Alex's chest and Carter has extracted Aiden from Cat's embrace the two head down the hall to the kids' room. "What is going on?" Alex demands, sliding forward in the chair and facing her sister and sister-in-law.

The two women across from her glance at one another and then Kara sighs, "I'm pregnant."

"What?" Alex demands, "How is that even - Did the two of you -" She shakes her head, "What?"

"We don't know, okay," Kara says. "I've been trying to find a good time to talk to Aunt Astra about it but with all the moving and the munchkins' adoption I haven't wanted to bother anyone."

"Kara," Alex says, moving over to the couch, settling on the arm of it, "just because Astra and I have three kids running around under foot does not mean that either of us is not going to be there for you. You're my sister, doofy, and you're her niece, we're always gonna be here for you." Kara sighs but Cat remains quiet and Alex knows it's because the older woman has probably said the same thing to Kara more than once since they found out Kara was pregnant. "How long have you known?"

When the younger woman refuses to speak, Cat reaches out and takes Addie from Kara's arms, hugging the little girl to her chest, "Four weeks," she says, "if the pregnancy is progressing like a normal human pregnancy she's about two and a half months." She stands up, "Addie and I will be out on the balcony, send Carter out when he comes back with Astra, the three of you need to talk."

"Cat -"

"Talk to your sister and aunt, Kara," Cat says firmly.

Kara drops her head into her hands as Cat steps out onto the balcony, "This is so messed up," Kara mutters.

Alex looks up when Astra and Carter return to the room, "Carter, your mom is out on the balcony, why don't you go keep her company while Astra and I talk to Kara about some work stuff?"

Carter glances between the three women, "Is everything okay?"

Alex pastes a fake smile on her features, "Of course, sweetie."

The smallest nod Alex has ever seen is Carter's response as he moves out to the balcony with his mother, "What's going on?" Astra says while sitting down beside Kara on the couch.

"I'm pregnant," Kara says quietly, "and I don't," she shakes her head, "and I don't know how. Cat thinks I cheated on her. She's been hurt so many times and my not being able to explain how the hell I ended up pregnant has made her question me and I -"

"Hey," Alex says, "breathe," she runs a hand over her sister's shoulders and looks pleadingly at Astra.

"Kara," Astra says quietly, reaching out for her niece's hand, "oh my sweet Kara," she reaches out and strokes Kara's cheek with just the pad of her thumb, "you are pregnant with your wife's child, Little One."

"But, Aunt Astra -"

Astra smiles, "You are Kryptonian, my dear, just because your wife is not does not mean that she cannot get you pregnant."

Kara shakes her head, "How?"

"Among our people all forms of love were accepted, Kara. Our physiology adapted over the years so that no matter who we loved we would be able to have children. Our planet was not like Earth, Kara, our science far more advanced."

"So because of something that the doctors of Krypton did to children there, I'm pregnant with Cat's child?"

Astra nods, "Had I considered this possibility before now I would have provided you a way to prevent," she considers her words carefully, "surprises. As it is I did not believe our biology would be as compatible with humans."

Alex reaches over and smacks Astra's shoulder, "The two of us are having a very long talk later about talking to me about things like this because this little tidbit of information affects us too, you stubborn ass."

Sighing Kara sinks back into the couch, her eyes pressed firmly closed, "I have been terrified of losing Cat for weeks over this."

"You should have talked to Astra, Kara," Alex says firmly, "the two of you patrol this city together every night its easy to talk while you're up there."

"I was scared," Kara whispers, "I'm always scared she's going to realize that I'm not good enough for her. A pregnancy that I had no answers as to how it occurred, I could understand if she left me."

"You idiot," Cat mutters from the balcony doorway, "I wouldn't leave you for anything because you deserve so much better than me." Cat moves to the couch as Astra and Alex slip away and out onto the balcony with Carter and Addie.

"Is everything really okay?" Carter questions of his two aunts.

"Yeah, bud," Alex says wrapping an arm around his shoulders as Astra takes Addie, "everything is just fine." She presses a kiss to his forehead, "What say you and I run grab pizzas?" She leans over to his ear, "And maybe some ice cream but don't tell the Kryptonians, we'll never get any."

Carter laughs and nods, "Sounds like a plan to me, but shouldn't we wait on Aiden and Alyssa to wake up?"

"Nah, those two will be up and about before we make it to the pizza place, they don't take long naps."

"Okay," he says with a grin, "should we let the moms finish talking?"

"They already know we're coming in," Astra says quietly, "just scurry on out the door, you two," she says with a grin, leaning over to press a kiss to Alex's lips, "and hurry back."

AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

Alex sinks down onto the bed, "Can we take a break now?" she asks, rolling over and into Astra's arms.

"I suppose," Astra says with a smirk while dropping a kiss to the top of Alex's head. "Why don't we get ready for bed, check on the munchkins and then go to bed ourselves?"

"You're a mind reader, my love," Alex says but doesn't move from Astra's embrace, nuzzling against the older woman's neck.

"You have to get up, you know?"

"No," Alex says almost petulantly. "I'm comfy."

A soft laughs slips past Alex's lips, "It's our first night in the new house, baby, don't you want to go check on the little ones with me." That statement is what draws Alex away from Astra's side and into a standing position, just as Astra knew it would. "I knew that would work."

"You didn't."

Astra smiles, wraps her arms around Alex's waist from behind, "But I did, my love, because you are an amazing mother and the thought of our children possibly not adjusting to this move would draw you away from anything."

"You're an amazing mom too, you know?" Alex questions, sinking back into Astra's embrace.

"Lets go check on our munchkins," Astra says instead of responding.

They start at the second door on the right from there's, entering to find Alyssa curled into a ball in the middle of her new twin bed. Her knees are drawn up to her chest but neither Astra nor Alex has seen her sleep any other way unless she was wrapped up in someone's arms. Moving forward Alex reaches for the blankets as Astra drops a kiss on her forehead. Alex tucks the blankets around her oldest daughter and drops a kiss on Alyssa's forehead just as Astra had, "Goodnight, moonbeam," she whispers and hates Astra a little for ever giving the little girl the nickname.

"N'ght Mama, Mommy," she replies sleepily and without fully waking up.

Slipping out of Alyssa's room the two women move to the next room, stifling laughs when they find Aiden half in his toddler bed and half on the floor. Shaking her head Astra moves forward and carefully lifts the little boy back into the bed, his head back on his pillow. Alex pulls his covers up and they each press a kiss to his forehead, "Goodnight, teddy bear," Astra whispers to him with a smile. Unlike his sister Aiden doesn't stir, he usually doesn't once sleep claims him.

In the next room Astra moves to the crib first while Alex adjusts the nightlight by the dresser, fish projected across the ceiling so it seems they're swimming. Each of the kids have a nightlight, Alyssa's is Disney Princess and Aiden's is _Cars_ but Addie's is the brightest so that when she wakes in the middle of the night Alex and Astra can see by its light instead of waking the whole house with overhead lights. "The other nightlights were plugged in, right?" Alex whispers quietly.

Astra shakes her head, "Yes, love, you've checked them five times tonight." Alex gives a single nod and moves to the crib, pressing a kiss to her fingertips and then placing them on Addie's cheek because they've already lowered the mattress so that when Addie starts pulling up she won't topple out. "Goodnight, bumblebee." Astra holds out her hand and Alex easily slips hers into the older woman's, allowing herself to be led down the hall and into their own room. Inside Astra pulls Alex back into her arms, Alex's back pressed against her chest, "How did we get here?" she whispers in Alex's ear, lips pressed against the shell of said ear.

Grinning Alex leans more fully into her lover's embrace, "We got here because some stubborn ass Kryptonian that I know," she turns in Astra's arms, wrapping her own arms around the slightly taller woman's neck, "nearly got herself killed a little over a year ago. Then she had a power blow out for four months and I had to teach her how to be human." Alex frames Astra's face with her hands, "Then my superhero saved me, kickstarting her powers again. Eleven months post near death experience she takes me to meet these kids that she helped save and I'm instantly connected to them. We slip off and get married without telling a soul until later and then adopt these three beautiful children that have only made us stronger. Move into one of those white picket fence houses." She grins, pulling Astra into a kiss, "I think this is the part where the and they lived happily ever after goes."

Astra chuckles at her wife's antics, "I love you," she whispers against Alex's lips as she pulls her into a new kiss.

"I love you too," Alex says just as quietly. She rests her forehead against Astra's, "Bumblebee will be up in a few hours." Astra hums deep in her throat, "We should get some sleep."

Before Alex can say more she's floating above the ground, moving towards the bed she and Astra share and landing softly against the mattress, Astra's body pressed against the length of her own, "Sleep is overrated," Astra murmurs, lips trailing down Alex's neck.

"For aliens, yeah," Alex hums when Astra's teeth graze over the sensitive skin of her neck. The knock at the door stops Astra's movements, holding her breath for a moment, hoping it won't come again.

"Mama," Aiden calls through the door and Alex knows he can't turn the handle properly. She slips from the bed, leaving a groaning Astra behind to bury her face in a pillow. Opening the door, Alex kneels down to Aiden's level, surprised when he throws himself into her arms, "The bad man tried to get me, Mama."

Holding him close Alex rises from her kneeling position and carries him towards the bed, "What bad man, baby?"

"Scary man," he says simply and snuggles into Alex's chest, one hand wrapped in Alex's shirt the other clinging to his Superman blanket (a gift from Superman himself) and his head resting over her heart, listening to the steady beat. "Hurt you," he mumbles, "hurt Mommy."

Alex presses her lips to the top of his head, looks down at Astra who has rolled over to rest her head on Alex's leg and wrap her arms around two of her favorite people, "You're safe, teddy bear," Astra promises her son. She frees his Superman blanket from his tight grasp, wraps it around his shoulders like a cape, tying the ends just her his chin (made specifically for that purpose, thank you Kal-El) and then wrapping it around him as if he were surrounded by Kara's cape or Superman's. She pulls him into the space between she and Alex, allowing her wife to slide down the bed, pulling covers up over the three of them. "You are always safe with Mama and I, Aiden, we're always going to protect you."

He grins at his Mommy, snuggling back against her, "Love you, mommies," he says sleepily his bright blue eyes slowly disappearing behind drooping lashes.

"Love you too, baby," Alex whispers but he's already dropped off into dreamland. Looking at Astra over their son's small form Alex smiles, "I love you," she whispers across to her wife.

"And I love you," Astra whispers back, her hand tangling with Alex's against their son's back while she wonders if they'll end up with more visitors in their bed tonight as she lets sleep claim her.

When the sun drifts through the cracks of pulled curtains the next morning the scene it reveals is one no one would expect to find. Aiden is still tucked into Astra's arms, his Superman blanket still wrapped around him though no longer tied around his neck. Alyssa is beside him, her tiny fingers laced with with Astra's as she curls around her little brother so that her head can rest on Astra's forearm. Addie is tucked against Alex's chest, soft puffs of air ruffling her sister's strawberry blonde curls in front of her. Alex's arm is stretched out over the children, hand resting on Astra's hip, all five of them sleeping peacefully in the early hours of the morning.


End file.
